1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season
The 1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season was the third for the franchise in St. Louis and the 12th season overall in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Coming off their trip to the 1957 NBA Finals, the Hawks won the Western Division by 8 games with a record of 41 wins and 31 losses. Bob Pettit ranked 3rd in scoring and 2nd in rebounding.[1] In the Western Finals, the Hawks would beat the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Hawks would then face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. After Games 1 and 2, the teams headed to St. Louis with the series tied at a game apiece. The Hawks took Game 3, as the Celtics lost Bill Russell to an ankle injury.[1] Despite playing without Russell, the Celtics were triumphant in Game 4. The Hawks pulled out a 2-point victory in the Game 5 to take control of the series. Needing one more win for their first NBA Championship, the Hawks beat the Celtics 110–109 in Game 6. Bob Pettit scored 50 points playing against an injured Bill Russell as the Hawks and owner Ben Kerner won their first NBA Title.[1]
1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season | |
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NBA champions | |
Division champions | |
Head coach | Alex Hannum |
Arena | Kiel Auditorium |
Results | |
Record | 41–31 (.569) |
Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Celtics 4-2) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
The Hawks were the second St. Louis-based pro sports team to win a major championship, joining the, then, six-time World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. They would be followed by five more World Series championships by the St. Louis Cardinals, a championship by the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, and a championship by the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals which made St. Louis the eighth city to win a championship in each of the four major U.S. sports.
Roster
St. Louis Hawks roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
Season standings
Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
x-St. Louis Hawks | 41 | 31 | .569 | - | 23-8 | 8-19 | 10-4 | 24-12 |
x-Detroit Pistons | 33 | 39 | .458 | 8 | 14-14 | 13-17 | 6-8 | 18-18 |
x-Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 39 | .458 | 8 | 17-12 | 10-19 | 6-8 | 17-19 |
Minneapolis Lakers | 19 | 53 | .264 | 22 | 10-15 | 4-21 | 5-17 | 13-23 |
Record vs. opponents
1957-58 NBA Records | ||||||||
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Team | BOS | CIN | DET | MIN | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
Boston | — | 7–2 | 8–1 | 9–0 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–4 | 7–5 |
Cincinnati | 2–7 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 4–5 |
Detroit | 1–8 | 6–6 | — | 6–6 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 6–6 | 5–4 |
Minneapolis | 0–9 | 4–8 | 6–6 | — | 1–8 | 3–6 | 3–9 | 2–7 |
New York | 5–7 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–1 | — | 4–8 | 3–6 | 5–7 |
Philadelphia | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 8–4 | — | 7–2 | 3–9 |
St. Louis | 4–5 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 |
Syracuse | 5–7 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–2 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 4–5 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Semifinals
The Hawks had a division semifinal bye.
West Division Finals
(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Detroit Pistons: Hawks win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 114, Detroit 111
- Game 2 @ Detroit: St. Louis 99, Detroit 96
- Game 3 @ St. Louis: Detroit 109, St. Louis 89
- Game 4 @ Detroit: St. Louis 145, Detroit 101
- Game 5 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 120, Detroit 96
Last Playoffs meeting: 1956 Western Division Finals (Pistons won 3–2, while still in Fort Wayne)
NBA Finals
Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | March 29 | Boston | 102–104 | St. Louis |
Game 2 | March 30 | Boston | 136–112 | St. Louis |
Game 3 | April 2 | St. Louis | 111–108 | Boston |
Game 4 | April 5 | St. Louis | 98–109 | Boston |
Game 5 | April 9 | Boston | 100–102 | St. Louis |
Game 6 | April 12 | St. Louis | 110–109 | Boston |
Hawks win series 4–2
Awards and honors
- Bob Pettit, All-NBA First Team
- Slater Martin, All-NBA Second Team
- Cliff Hagan, All-NBA Second Team